Double joy as twins are born healthy

2:40pm Tuesday 8th January 2013 in News

Double joy as twins are born healthy Double joy as twins are born healthy

A HAMPSHIRE couple spoke of their relief after having identical twins over Christmas.

Nicola and Paul Mitchell were among five sets of parents to have twins at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital over Christmas.

But they stood out among the others when Nicola gave birth to identical twin girls, Emma and Daisy, on December 17.

Identical twins, known as monochorionic, make up just 0.3 per cent of all pregnancies but carry a serious risk of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) which can kill the babies.

Nicola, 37, said: “It was very stressful as there was a significant risk as TTTS can lead to one of the twins taking more blood and becoming larger while the other becomes smaller, which can kill them. We thought weeks ago they would be born very early as well.

“But we were lucky in that we got to 36 weeks, which we didn’t think would happen. It was amazing and a relief that it all went well and they are doing very well at home now.”

Nicola, a solicitor, and Paul, a business analyst, took the girls home to Knowle Lane, Horton Heath, last week.

Emma and Daisy weighed 4lbs 5oz and 5lbs 3oz respectively and were the first of the five sets of twins to be born in Winchester.

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Comments(14)

boobooj says...
3:15pm Tue 8 Jan 13

Lovely to hear that there were no complications with TTTS, but you really are playing with the facts here a bit, which is a shame.

Yes, identical twins make up 0.3% of all births, but studies have found that the risk of identical twins with TTTS is around 1 in 58 births, or a 1.72% chance. So while a risk, the twins were not in any serious danger.

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Pandoragolden1 says...
4:23pm Tue 8 Jan 13

I am an identical twin and I gave birth to Identical twin boys, that is very rare and I never expected it! My pregnancy was complicated and I developed diabetes which I still have although it was some years ago good luck with those night feeds xx

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Lottibell says...
8:33am Wed 9 Jan 13

Boobooj.. The risk of TTTs in a monochorionic pregnancy is quite a lot more serious than you have stated. Most of these 'studies' don't count a pregnancy before 21 weeks and also there are a lot of TTTs pregnancies that go undiagnosed.

Saying that the twins were Not in any serious danger is a very very dangerous comment to make and sends a fair amount of parents into a false sense of security 'it'll never happen to me'. The best way for anyone who is expecting twins to have a change of defeating such a deadly and devastating disease is to be informed.

If you find that your doctors can not sufficiently answer your questions than do research for yourself and find a TTTs community on Facebook. We will be able to assist you and get you to the specialists who deal with this on a DAILY basis!

Be your babies' voices!

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Lottibell says...
8:48am Wed 9 Jan 13

Also, TTTs can occur at ANY stage of the pregnancy. This includes during birth, which is called ACUTE TTTs. Birthing naturally can be risky which is why a c section is recommended, although it is possible to have a natural as long as you are aware of the risks to not only your babies but yourself as well and are prepared for a c section if anything goes wrong.

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Twinstrumentality says...
9:08am Wed 9 Jan 13

boobooj, can we get a Pointer to your "Studies?" You mention "Births". Well, TTTS KILLS BEFORE BIRTH. Now let's talk about PREGNANCIES, boobooj. 14%, One In Seven Shared Placenta Multiple PREGNANCIES are affected by TTTS, which has a 50% Mortality rate, BEFORE BIRTH. post some information of these "Studies", please, instead of perpetuating the Cycle of Ignorance surrounding this #1 Killer of Identical Twins.

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max&alexsmammy says...
10:27am Wed 9 Jan 13

Im so glad you have your twins and all went well. Micheal Ray jog on with yourself please.

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Marcel Pleasance says...
1:54pm Wed 9 Jan 13

Nicola & Paul congratulation on the arrival of your special girls , im so pleased that your pregnancy was not affect by TTTS , as 1in 5 identical twin pregnancy are affected in some way ..Hope all goes well for the future with Emma & Daisy

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kamila216 says...
2:32pm Wed 9 Jan 13

Well all that ur comments about statictics r made me really angry if u havent been thru TTTS ur self and dont know what its like loosing one of your id twins dont comment cos my id girl died of TTTS before birth i had to carry dead and alive till i give birth at 37 wks by emerg c-sec ....rant over simple

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Gingatossa says...
3:29pm Wed 9 Jan 13

Boobooj - 'No real danger' of TTTS huh? You for real? ALL Mo/Di & Mo/Mo pregnancies are VERY high risk from TTTS!! It affects around 20% of all ID pregnancies & isn't choosy on it's victims either! It comes in 2 forms - CHRONIC & ACUTE. The former being the more common version. TTTS unknowingly stuck me at 37 weeks - it was the post mortem of my stillborn that showed ACUTE TTTS occured the day before - my survivor is left with profound multi-complex disabilities & is life-limited - i bet most people think they are safe at 37 weeks!! WAKE UP!!!! Congratulations on your gorgeous babies Nicola & Paul - at least you were very aware & informed on the biggest threat to Emma & Daisy - enjoy them :) x x x

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Hndg12 says...
6:44pm Wed 9 Jan 13

Just like to say thanks for the supportive comments - we would reiterate the message that parents best defence of their babies is being proactive and insisting on the best information. Their are some amazing people who will do their best to help but you need luck as well. At one stage they were diagnosed with stage 3 Ttts so we did have genuine concerns. To those posters who have had bad experiences we cannot imagine what you must have been through and we really appreciate your kind comments. Many thanks

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kamila216 says...
7:13pm Wed 9 Jan 13

i wish u guys many yrs in happines with ur precious babies twin pregnancy is scarry as it is and very dangerous i am verry happy happy for your positive outcome good luck xx

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max&alexsmammy says...
7:45pm Wed 9 Jan 13

i think we have all been through ttts here kamila we are concerned about the dangers of micheal

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Twinstrumentality says...
4:12am Thu 10 Jan 13

"The Dangers of Michael..." What precisely are those? I have seen no Disagreement with the stats. I present, others present Similar ones. Or Worse, as mr Pleasance points out, some of the latest data seem to show up to 1 in 5 Shared Placenta Twin Pregnancies affected by TTTS! What we are trying desparately to say is this: "If you have a Shared Placenta in your Twin Pregnancy, THIS IS NOT AT ALL RARE, AND YOU SHOULD WATCH OUT FOR IT, AS IT CAN KILL." That is all. I see no "danger" except in those like boobooj who Vastly Understate the Threat posed by TTTS, which IS the number one killer of Identical Twins. There lies your "danger", in Misinformation.

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kamila216 says...
9:19am Thu 10 Jan 13

and what Danger is Michael he lost twins him self due to TTTS andmax&alexsmammy what is ur ride with TTTS i can c u have both of ur twins born healthy ? i am happy that u have

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